Running in Different Circles
by LadyAthosTheKat
Summary: When it comes to schools for the fine arts, no one could argue that any except Aoi Academy was the best. But after an offer that was too good to refuse, Shea supposes that he can spend one year in Ouran. The reward is so great after all... What's this? Why is it pink? What are they wearing! What do you mean this is a host club! It was just a vase!


Hi! LadyAthosTheKat speaking and this is one of my very first stories to ever be posted! Be kind and review honestly, please! I hope you enjoy and can give me feedback on which one of the fics I've started I should focus on.

I know... I don't own Ouran... or any song that ends up in here... or any other fandoms that sneak in... Shea is mine though! You can't take him away!

Chapter 1

Silence was the key component in describing the scenery within Aoi Academy on that sunny day just one week into the school year. It was quiet everywhere as classes were in session and all the halls were empty. Quiet was everywhere, that is, except within the hallway leading down to the school's premier recording studio. In that length of hall, several students dressed in starched black uniforms scurried around regulating several machines that seemed to affect the voices emitting from the closed rooms situated around the central hub in a decagon shape.

"Climbing out the back door, didn't leave a mark. No one knows it's you Miss Jackson. Found another victim, but no one's gonna find Miss Jackson, Jackson, Jackson…" A girl's muted voice sang out from behind the door directly to the right of the large group of computers and students. Suddenly, a burst of drums and a male voice singing background echoed from the rooms on either side of the one the female singer was in. The music then quickly quieted to make room for a powerful voice to burst into life.

"You put a sour little flavor in my mouth now. You move in circles hoping no one's gonna find out. But we're so lucky, kiss the ring and let 'em bow down. Looking for the time of your life." What was obviously a boy's voice overwhelmed the room, leaving no room for uncertainty as the singer belted out the lyrics.

"Ain't always gonna find out," the male background singer's voice faded into being behind the lead singer's, enhancing and augmenting the more prominent vocalist.

"A pretty picture but the scenery is so loud, a face like heaven catching lighting in your nightgown, but back away from the water, babe, you might drown- the party isn't over tonight." The lyrics drew the listeners into the spell being woven by only a few words sung by the loving voices of those who knew what it meant to convey others through melody.

"Lighting in your nightgown," the bait was set in the trap as the first boy subtly drew those present into the enchantment woven by the group's voices.

"He-eyy! Where will you be waking up tomorrow morning? He-eyy! Out the back door! Goddamn, but I love her anyway! I love her anyway! I love her anyway! Out the back door! Goddamn, but I love her anyway!" The chorus was powerful and it set the hook in the hearts of all those who had never heard these artists sing before.

"Miss Jackson! Miss Jackson! Miss Jackson!" The repeated words gave the idea of the lead singer calling out for said elusive and deceptive woman.

"Are you nasty?" The quiet singing of the background vocalist emphasized the lies told by this fictional female and fully won the singers' audience over.

"I love her anyway!" The lead singer's voice cried out, leaving no doubt as to the exasperation such a thought must bring him. "Ohhhh, where will you be waking up tomorrow morning? Ohhhh, out the back door! Goddamn, but I love her anyway!"

Then, his voice burst outward again in a second verse, the drums emphasizing the words sung. "Way down 'til the fire finally dies out. You've got 'em wrapped around your finger, watch 'em fall down. There's something beautiful and tragic in the fallout. Let me say it one more time!"

"Tragic in the fall out!" Once again, the first boy's voice rang out.

"He-eyy, where will you be waking up tomorrow morning? He-eyy, out the back door! Goddamn, but I love her anyway! I love her anyway! I love her anyway! Out the back door! Goddamn, but I love her anyway! Miss Jackson! Miss Jackson! Miss Jackson!" The chorus swarmed through the room, its infectious beat causing heads to bob throughout.

"Are you nasty?" The kids who had been monitoring the machinery rushed around, trying to do some last minute cleaning before the song ended along with the class period. A little time passed, and the song was over leaving those who had been ensconced in the room to finally exit.

"Oh, my throat!" A young brunette boy with vibrantly green eyes flumped down onto one of the extremely cushioned chairs that were scattered around the common area of the recording studio. He waved his hand in the approximate direction of those who congratulated him for his efforts while grabbing for a nearby water bottle. "This budding rock star is beat!"

A girl about the same age with close-cropped crimson hair and bright, bottomless blue eyes stepped out of the room she had been within, shooting her fellow singer a glare and tucking her drumsticks away. She just straight out ignored the waves in her direction that were the other students' attempts to compliment her. "Seriously, Azrael? You were background this time. You barely sung at all!"

"I still sang more than you!" The two soon were growling at each other, their foreheads pressed together as lightning lanced away from their opposing figures. The other students in the area cringed away from the conflict but went on about their business as if it were nothing unusual. To be honest, it wasn't.

"Now, now children," a slightly teasing tone crept into the newcomer's voice. "Let's not be ridiculous, please?" The pair that had been facing off turned to look towards the speaker sporting sheepish expressions.

There standing in the doorway of the last recording room they had been using was a slender teenager with his waist-length white hair pulled into a high ponytail. His red eyes and pigmentless visage painted him as an albino while his gentle smile smoothed the jagged corners created by such an exotic appearance. The boy took the opportunity to put away the guitar he had been using during the recording session.

"Sacha! There you are! Your older brother is asking for you. He called in at the office." A teenage girl outfitted in the dark blue skirt, white blouse, and black blazer set for the girls of Aoi Academy rushed into the room calling out for some help with the files she was carrying with her. Once she was relieved of her burden, she headed over towards the trio still gathered next to the luxurious sitting area that took up the part of the room that the central control hub did not.

As the newcomer approached, Azrael nudged his redheaded friend to keep her from retaliating for the ugly glare plastered across the visiting girl's otherwise pretty face that was being sent in her direction. "Arielle!" The boy hissed at her, attempting not to be overheard. "Will you just leave it be?!"

Arielle's sky colored eyes narrowed in the direction of the blonde slug she was having to watch sidle up to her gentle friend, and she near spat out her response. "They're all disgusting! How can Shea even stand to be around them? The bimbos don't even know him and they're all over him! I mean, the least they could do is realize that we don't like each other like that before they try to crucify me with their eyes!"

"I gotta say, he's quite the lady killer." Azrael sighed. It would be nice to get that much attention from girls even if he knew from experience as Shea's best male friend how annoying the prissy little stalkers could be. Unfortunately for the brunette, his redheaded friend had heard him.

"Excuse me?! What did you just say, you blockheaded moron?!" Her Irish temper reared its dangerous head as Arielle turned on the teen standing next to her, incredulous that he would dare express jealousy over a bunch of dogs in heat latching onto their friend like leeches. What followed could be described as a set of snarling Rottweiler's trapped down in the dog pit searching for weakness in the opponent.

Meanwhile, the girl who had invaded the sanctity that was the recording studio was fluttering her eyelashes towards the recipient of the message she had brought. "Mhmm. The headmaster wanted me to let you know that your brother was on the line. He wanted you to head to the main office as soon as this class period was done."

"Ahuh." Shea made a vague noise of acknowledgement as he tried to scoot away from a girl who could very well be a stalker from the way she was acting. "I'll do that. Yes, um, was that all?" His strained smile seemed not to phase the female creature attempting to get a good hold on his arm. One would think his status as a foreigner would phase these girls, but nooo! He was stuck fending off hoards of the things!

The boy took the opportunity that her message provided and quickly abandoned her as he shot off towards the headmaster's office.

"Yeah… he's not getting back any time soon…" Azrael spared a few seconds to comment on the departure of their mutual friend before his attention was once again pulled to the predicament that he was in- that is, avoiding Arielle as she worked herself into a rage.

[~,~]

"Headmaster? You asked to see me?" Shea eased his way into the large office that lay on the east side of the building. He had walked as quickly as he couldin order to avoid recognition but there had still been several close calls along the way.

The man behind the large oak desk looked up from the forms he was shuffling through and spoke quickly to the person on the other end of the phone in his hand. "Just a moment, Connor. Sacha, come in. Your brother is on the phone for you. He wants to talk to you about an opportunity for scholastically."

The phone was handed over and soon Shea was speaking to the loudest of his many older brothers. "Conner? What is it? Is father okay?"

There was a rich chuckle that sounded from the speaker as Shea's brother went to calm his worry. "Naw, pop's fine Shay. I just wanted to talk to you about an offer that was sent to us by the Board of Artistic Distinction a few days ago… Dad had to leave for a conference so I was volunteered."

"An offer from BAD? What did they want?" Shea felt curiosity bubble within him. The Board of Artistic Distinction was the organization that was mainly responsible for finding the young talent in any of the fine arts and setting them up on the path to success- regardless of their social status or monetary background.

"You, silly! They told us that you're all but guaranteed a place in their program so long as you agree to fulfill a few prerequisites. You already have all but a handfull down, and those will be no problem for you to get done so we- that is pops and the rest of us- all agreed to run it past you."

"It sounds amazing, but what is it that I'd have to do to get in?" Excited, but still conscious of the caveats that had already been placed on admittance, Shea needed to know all the details before agreeing to anything.

"They're asking that you participate in a year-long exchange program with one of five schools that they fit to your abilities. They also want you to put an album in process to be released upoon your acceptance to the program and subsequent debut. Pops has already spoken with Arielle and Azrael's parents and they've agreed that the two can follow you to whichever school you choose so that's all taken care of. What do you think?"

Shea paused for a second to think. Really, everything that would've made him hesitate had already been taken care of. Aoi had a policy already set in place for exchange students, so he'd be able to keep up on all of his classes and independent projects and the workload from the other school was kept to a reasonable amount so as not to overwhelm students. His friends would be able to go with him- he knew there would be no chance that they would disagree with the opportunity- and the only other requirement that he apparently hadn't already filled was that he prepare for a debut and all that would require was what he was doing already.

"It's an amazing offer- I can't honestly say anything but yes."

~{°•°}~

"Say what?! BAD sent you an offer?! Of course we're going!" Arielle was enthused as always. Shea glanced over at Azrael and found him to be just as accomodating but with a look of thoughtfulness on his face.

"But what school will we be transferring to?" he asked. In response, Shea gave a shrug that sent his long, pale hair rippling across his shoulders.

"I haven't even looked yet. I thought I'd as you two first to make sure you were on board." He pulled out the letter that had been given to him by the headmaster once he had finished his conversation with his brother and looked it over. "Let's see… here's Howaitoriba, Lobeliea- isn't that an all girl's school?-, Yuugana Chuurippu, Ouran, and Idaina Chiisana Oku. What do you guys think?"

"Well obviously we're not going to stick you with Lobelia… and Idaina is a civilian prep school. Not that there's any problem with that, but I think Magnus would have a fit if you decided you wanted to go there." Arielle folded her arms across her chest as she explained. She'd have a problem with it too, though not for the same reasons. Schools like that were filled with girls. Girls that squealed and stalked and harassed self respecting bishounen like her poor beleagered friend.

"I don't think that Chuu is in the cards either," mentioned Azrael. "It's a heavily sports centered school with little emphasis on any of the arts. There's also supposed to be a huge bullying problem, and with those two facts combinded, it would make for a miserable experience for us all."

"That means our choices are either Howaitoriba or Ouran…" Shea sat back in the chair that had been pulled up in the empty classroom they hung out in afterschool. Now that they had narrowed it down to two schools, it should be easier to figure out which they would be spending the next year attending. "Conner said that Magnus and Aneirin had asked tht I stay as close to home as possible. They want to lessen the commute between home and school. I don't think they'd appreciate it if I stayed in dorms either…"

"Man, sometimes I forget how overbearing your brothers can be. I guess that means we're gong to Ouran. We wouldn't want to hurt your brothers' delicate sensibilities." Azrael lips turned up in a grin before they promptly fell into a grimace as he rubbed the arm Arielle had punched.

"You mean we wouldn't want you to end up on their bad side? Chicken."

"Hey! You were thinking the exact same thing! Shea's brothers are huge! And their little brother complexes are terrifying! I don't want to be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life!"

Shea smiled a little as he watched his two friends as they got more and more worked up. He was glad they were going to be going with him. It would all turn out fine, and they would have fun in the process.


End file.
